Legally Brief: the U.S. Must Ban Cosmetic Testing on Animals

Some good news may be coming for animals: the Humane Cosmetics Act, introduced by Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA) as “HR 4148.” If passed, the Act would eliminate animal testing for cosmetics made or sold in the U.S. It would also make it illegal to sell or transport cosmetics across state lines if any part of that product has been manufactured by testing on animals after the ban is implemented. The bill has bipartisan support and recently Michael Grimm (R-NY) signed on as a co-sponsor, along with nearly 50 other members of Congress.

Animals—most commonly rabbits and rats—are used in acute toxicity tests where they are force-fed or forced to inhale massive doses of a chemical ingredient, and as a result will suffer severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, convulsions, paralysis, seizures, and/or bleeding before death. Other tests include eye and skin corrosion tests, in which rabbits are fully restrained while chemical substances are dripped into their eyes or rubbed into their shaved skin, creating ulcers, scabs, swelling, or blindness. These results are subjective at best and can only predict human reaction with approximately 65% accuracy in most cases.

So why are these cruel, unnecessary tests performed? It is likely that these tests are used by corporations to shield themselves from potential liability in the event they are sued. But even so, it is in the best interest for the industry itself to use alternatives to testing on animals because such tests are known to be unreliable, expensive, and time-consuming. More importantly, they cause tremendous and unnecessary suffering to sentient beings. Scientists have already developed alternatives that use human blood, cell, or skin tissues, or advanced computer technology to test the safety of cosmetic products. Companies already using these alternative methods have cut costs, time, and cruelty. There are numerous, widely available brands that have never been tested on animals—see ALDF’s Cruelty-Free Consumer Guide.

As recently noted in Scientific American, the U.S. has been behind the times when it comes to preventing cruelty to animals in unnecessary laboratory testing. The European Union has banned cosmetic testing and even prohibits the marketing of cosmetic products tested on animals. In contrast, China requires such testing, and the U.S., while not requiring it, has not stepped up to ban it. Happily, that may finally change with the Humane Cosmetics Act.

The Humane Cosmetics Act would encourage the development of new testing methods that don’t harm animals, and increase the use of advanced testing alternatives already available. Better, more reliable methods of testing mean eliminating testing on animals. Our need to produce safe products corresponds directly with our need to make those products humane, and both are possible under the law.

98 thoughts on “Legally Brief: the U.S. Must Ban Cosmetic Testing on Animals”

Animal testing is inhumane and immoral and should be illegalized. There are people who gladly participate in research. And guess what the research done on consenting humans would be more accurate! Stop animal testing now!!!!!

I wholeheartedly support this proposed legislation, as well as the broader efforts of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to raise awareness about viable scientific alternatives to animal testing.

PLEASE❗ this is a cruelty that never should have been tolerated to begin with❗ it is just disgustingly archaic & absolutely unnecessary❗PLEASE stop this abuse & PLEASE place the ban immediately❗STOP ANIMAL CRUELTY AND STOP ANIMAL TESTING❗

Torturing through cruel and inhumane ways for the sake of what? There are make up industries out there who dont use animal testing for their products so why should this be permitted by others? A dominating race and we kill each other and everything below us. This mind of stuff has to stop somewhere! Enough is enough. Pollution does enough damage without people having to add more inhumane things to be done to animals.

Stop all animal,teting. This should have been done years, ago. It is beyong, cruel and inhumane especially since it involves p J\romoting human, vanity at the suffering of innocent, helpless, animals. They are not ours to use and test anything on!IT IS NOT ALL ABOUT US AND NEVER HAS BEEN!

End this now is is beyond cruel and nhumane! It is not all about us and never has been! All animals have a right to their own bodies, skin, flesh and babies and to live out the life that nature, designed them for with out free and without fear of human,exploitation for human profit and vanity!

This needs to stop! This is needless suffering on animals. There are many other ways to test this crap without using innocent animals to do so. I am a nurse by profession snd try to ease the suffering on any living thing. I will not buy anything that is tested on animals which leaves only a few companies.

Torturing animals is NEVER ok! All of the companies that do animal testing need to be shut down! You’d get arrested for animal cruelty if you did these sick things to your pets at home why is it legal in cosmetic companies?! Look at the double standard & know that torturing threes innocent precious souls is not an option!

Testing on animals is NOT necessary! What happened to human beings being humane, loving and kind; compassionate and leaders of good? If only prayers were enough to have the human race the way God intended it to be…

Looooong overdue. I truly hope this bill passes. I only use beauty products not tested on animals but there are still way too many on the shelves that do this inhumane and unnecessary testing. Glad this is finally being taken seriously.

The horrific practice of using innocent animals in laboratory experiments needs to stop. It should have never been started in the first place. These poor terrified animals are subjected to inhumane abuse, toxicity, and murder. And for what? For shallow cosmetic companies to market their superficial products? Millions of animals have already suffered and died for multiple decades! What could possibly be left to test at this point? These heartless laboratory “doctors” must have already gathered all the information they could have ever possibly needed by now. Why must the tests continue? The results are not even accurate when transferred to humans. This has gone on too long and inflicted too much unspeakable suffering, fear, pain, and death on millions of sentient animals. Enough already. More than enough. It needs to stop. And the people who inflict such grotesque testing on animals need to be registered in a database as “Animal Offenders,” just like Sex Offenders. Good people and families have the right to know if animal abusers are in their neighborhoods and who these sickos are.

Animal testing is barbaric, wrong and inhumane. Why force helpless animals to torture?! The prisons are full of murderers, rapists and abusers. Test on them. It should be an additional punishment to those convicted of animal cruelty charges…

Animal testing is inhumane and sadistic especially for the experimentation of cosmetics. It is causing horrible torture and suffering for no good reason. Please support this ban on animal testing asap.

It breaks my heart to know what these innocent victims go through unnecessarily. I make sure I buy cosmetics and household products that have not been test on animals… please stop this inhumane practice.

I don’t buy makeup but I certainly use other hygiene products. I now have a list with me to help me find them. If some companies don’t use animal products AND don’t test on animals I cannot see any reason why they all can’t. Some of the most lucrative companies are doing disgraceful things. Most people don’t look into what they are using just like they really don’t what they eat half the time.

Animal testing/vivisection is the worst abomination that has ever existed in the entire history of the human race. It is the lowest, most perverted act ever committed against innocent sentient beings, and it is a disgrace to humanity.

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